Yes, it is hard to get the American Express® Gold Card because it requires at least good credit for approval. Unless your credit score is 700 or higher and you have a lot of income, it will be very hard for you to get approved for the Amex Gold card.
It's recommended that you only apply for the American Express® Gold Card if you have a FICO® Score of 670 or higher. Like just about all the best travel rewards cards, this card is for consumers with good or excellent credit.
And since it features some pretty decent benefits, the American Express® Gold Card requirements for approval tend to be a little stricter. We recommend that you have a good to excellent credit score, which ranges from 690-850, before you apply.
American Express does not disclose a specific income requirement, but it will need to be enough to make payments on the card and to afford the $250 annual fee.
The Centurion® Card from American Express, sometimes referred to as the Black Card, may be the hardest credit card to get because you need a special invitation from Amex to apply and there's a high financial bar to getting the card. It's been reported the card requires a $7,500 "initiation fee" and a $2,500 annual fee.
Is the American Express Gold Card worth the annual fee? If you make use of the card's annual credits and you spend a lot on dining and groceries, the card can be well worth the $250 fee. If you're not maximizing the credits and bonus categories, another card could be a better choice.
The USAA® Secured American Express® Card used to be the easiest American Express card to obtain as it was available to people with bad credit.
The card is so hard to get, you have to be invited to even apply. While Amex doesn't really have published requirements to procure such an invite, it's reported that you'll need to spend at least $350,000 a year on your credit cards to be considered.
This will not affect your credit score. However, your request for a Card will show up on your credit bureau reports as a request for credit, also known as an "inquiry."
You can get an American Express card upgrade through a targeted online or mail offer. Amex cardholders may also contact customer service at 1 (800) 528-4800 to request an upgrade, which is commonly known as a product change.
Which Credit Bureau Does American Express Use? American Express appears to primarily pull credit reports from Experian, but this doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally pull from one or both of the other major consumer credit bureaus as well.
Once again, these prequalified offers from American Express only place a soft pull on your credit report, so checking your eligibility won't have any impact on your credit.
Point your browser to an American Express credit card page. Find the “Check Your Eligibility for Pre-Qualified Offers” section of the page and then click the “Check for Offers” button. Fill in your name and address, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your total and non-taxable annual income.
The American Express credit score requirement is 700 or above, depending on the card. That means people with good to excellent credit are eligible to be approved for an American Express credit card.
Although this card carries no annual fee, folks report needing a credit score of at least 680 to get approved. But some others were approved with scores of as low as 650, so you might have a good shot even with less of a credit history.
There is anecdotal evidence of applicants with scores as low as the mid-600s being approved, but that's rare. Even for the American Express® Green Card, a more beginner-focused travel card, a score of 670 or higher is probably necessary.
With any good, there is always the bad. Drawbacks of American Express include the notorious annual fees. Although an annual fee is almost expected, the actual fee itself varies.
The most common reason for a card to be declined is because you're over your credit limit, or the purchase in question would put you over your credit limit.
All Amex says is that your credit limit depends on your credit history, debt level, income, and payment history on other American Express cards. One way to estimate what credit limit you might get on an American Express card is to read customer reviews of the card.
No, American Express does not verify income on most credit card applications or credit line increase requests. Amex will generally require income verification only if something seems out of the ordinary, such as a 21-year-old claiming to have an annual income of $150,000.
According to Weiss, one of the most recommended cards for high-net-worth individuals is The Platinum Card® from American Express . While this card comes with a wide range of perks that make it seem too good to be true, it also comes with an annual fee of $695 (See Rates), which is higher than most other credit cards.
What does your credit score need to be for the Amex Platinum card? While there is no set score needed, we recommend you have a credit score of at least 720, 2 years of clean credit history, and an income of at least $50,000 per year to apply for the Amex Platinum card.
The American Express® Gold Card is constructed with a mix of materials that include stainless steel, just like the Platinum Card. The difference is that the Gold Card is slightly lighter and features its signature gold color.
Amex Platinum ultimately offers more value, though. For example, its benefits include airport lounge access, while the Amex Gold Card's perks do not. When it comes to ongoing rewards on purchases, Amex Platinum has a higher maximum earning rate and better travel rewards. But Amex Gold provides more everyday value.